"Digital graffiti" taking over Indonesia

Social network Harpoen will ‘strike while the iron is hot’ in Indonesia’s tech-savvy population.

Jakarta-based American J.P. Ellis who is behind the social network told Wall Street Journal, “Indonesia has a huge population of hip and tech-savvy urbanites who are very open-minded to new ideas and concepts.” He added that “Indonesians are also naturally social. We may be the friendliest country in the world.”

Harpoen lets users comment on and upload “digital graffiti” or photos and videos at specific locations for others to find. The country is one of the most active Twitter and Facebook users in the world, making it predictable that Harpoen would be met with enthusiasm. Users have already dropped tens of thousands of “harps” around Jakarta just four months since it was released. “Harps” include poetry connected a certain place or recommendations for street-food stands. Others were more creative, such as those who have posted passwords of restaurants and cafes that have free WiFi.

According to the Journal, offering the digital tagging application exclusively for iPhones may hamper demand since few can afford the $600 phones. The company said it is working on making it available for Android handsets, many of which are more affordable.